Gundersen: Very visible steam at Fukushima Unit 3 is from constant
radioactive releases — Coming from hot rubble, not related to
new explosion

Fairewinds Energy Education,
Jan. 1, 2014: [...] the Internet has been flooded with conjecture
claiming that Fukushima Daiichi Unit 3 is ready to explode. Fairewinds
Energy Education has been inundated with questions about the very
visible steam emanating from Fukushima Daiichi Unit 3. [...] Hot water
vapor has been released daily by each of the four Fukushima Daiichi
nuclear power plants since the accident. We believe that is one of the
reasons TEPCO placed covers over Daiichi 4 and 1. [...] radioactive
rubble (fission products) was left in each unit [...] heat from this
ongoing decay of radioactive rubble is constantly releasing moisture
(steam) and radioactive products into the environment. [...] [Unit 3] is
still producing slightly less than 1 megawatt (one million watts) of
decay heat [...] it is creating radioactive steam [...] hot radioactive
releases [...] have occurring [sic] for the entire 33 months [...] The
difference now is that the only time we visibly notice these ongoing
releases is on the cold days [...]

The Ecologist reported on this unsubstantiated rumor which was then used as a source by ‘Gizmodo. The Ecologist has now changed their original report without any notice or explanation. Here’s the original ending: “The Turner Radio Network
is advising people on the West Coast of North America to”prepare for
the worst” in case a meltdown of the waste fuel is in fact commencing.
No official warnings have been released on either side of the Pacific.”Here’s how it ends now: “According to a Fairewinds Energy Education posting on Facebook,
the reactor is currently producing about 1 MW of heat, equivalent to
1,000 1KW electric fires, so enough to produce plenty of steam. This
would provide the least worrying explanation for the steam, in that as
the radioactivity continues decline so will the heat production and the
volume of steam produced. If this explanation is correct, there is no
reason expect any catastrophic outcome. However the steam is carrying
considerable amounts of radiation into the atmosphere and represents an
ongoing radiation hazard.”

Just found this from TEPCO:

[About the situation at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant and (Daily)[3 pm]Tokyo Electric Power Co., Inc. December 27, 2013

An
accident of our Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant due to the
Tohoku-Pacific Ocean Earthquake on March 11, 2011, and including our
location area, to our society, widely apologize for the great
inconvenience and worry Regarding that you have, I would like apologize
from the bottom of my heart.Regard to the accident at the Fukushima
Daiichi nuclear power plant, April 17, 2011, compiled the "path towards
convergence of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station and
accidents", to July 19 the same year, the "radiation dose We achieved a
step 1, goal, "which has become a steady downward trend. Then, on
December 16 the same year, to confirm the achievement of step 2, which
targets "that the release of radioactive materials is under control and
radiation doses are being significantly held down", to December 21 the
same year, the Fukushima I have compiled the medium-and long-term
roadmap for the Decommissioning of Unit 1-4 first nuclear power plant.November
18, 2013, and began the work is taken out of fuel from Unit 4 spent
fuel pool. As a result, we achieved ahead of schedule (start taking out
fuel from the spent fuel pool within two years from step 2 is complete)
the first phase of the medium-and long-term roadmap, and has gone into
the second phase of the medium-and long-term roadmap .Continue, by
our efforts to ensure the maintenance of a stable state of the plant,
you go through over the medium-to long-term necessary measures towards
the decommissioning of Units 1 to 4, and national implementation of your
feedback of people who are displaced To help our life with peace of
mind, we will work at full power continuously.

About the situation at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, I will inform you as follows]

Persons
residing on the west coast of North America should IMMEDIATELY begin
preparing for another possible onslaught of dangerous atmospheric
radiation from the Fukushima nuclear disaster site in Japan. The Tokyo
Electric Power Company (TEPCO) says radioactive steam has suddenly begun
emanating from previously exploded nuclear reactor building #3 at the
Fukuishima disaster site in Japan. TEPCO says they do not
know why this is happening and cannot go into the building to see
what's happening due to damage and lethal radiation levels in that
building. Experts say this could be the beginning of a "spent fuel pool
criticality (meltdown)" involving up to 89 TONS of nuclear fuel burning
up into the atmosphere and heading to North America. Steam photo, full
details and suggested methods to protect yourself appear below.

Editor's Note: This pic is from March, 2011 - via fukushimadiary.com: [Mochizuki Cheshire Iori's PhotosA lot of people ask me about the "steam"coming up from reactor3.
As Fukushima Diary has reported, this "steam&quot; has
been observed &lt;almost everyday since this July". (http://fukushima-diary.com/2013/07/steaming-reactor3-thermography-shows-the-steaming-area-is-over-15%E2%84%83-hotter-than-atmosphere/) (http://fukushima-diary.com/2013/09/tepco-not-to-investigate-nor-take-countermeasures-for-reactor3-steam-anymore/)]

On
December 28, 2013, the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) admitted
steam was seen billowing out of reactor building #3, saying the steam
appeared to be coming from what's left of the fifth floor of the
mostly-destroyed building. It is widely known that persons cannot get
inside Reactor Building #3 because it is severely damaged and highly
radioactive, so TEPCO cannot state for certain what is happening in that
building or why. TEPCO admits they do not know why this steam is being
generated, but matter-of-factly revealed today (December 28) the steam
was first spotted on December 19 for a short period of time, then again
on December 24 and again on December 25.

Local Weather Alert - MADTOWN, WI

Winter Storm Warning for Dane CO, WI

SNOW WILL SPREAD INTO THE AREA VERY QUICKLY EARLY SATURDAY
EVENING... THEN CONTINUE THROUGH THE NIGHT AND INTO SUNDAY MORNING
BEFORE TAPERING OFF FROM SOUTHWEST TO NORTHEAST LATER SUNDAY MORNING AND
AFTERNOON. THE SNOW WILL BE HEAVY AT TIMES... ESPECIALLY BETWEEN THE
MIDNIGHT TO 8 AM

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A
WINTER STORM WARNING FOR HEAVY SNOW MEANS SEVERE WINTER WEATHER
CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED OR OCCURRING. SIGNIFICANT AMOUNTS OF SNOW ARE
FORECAST THAT WILL MAKE TRAVEL DANGEROUS. ONLY TRAVEL IN AN EMERGENCY.
IF YOU MUST TRAVEL... KEEP AN EXTRA FLASHLIGHT... FOOD... AND WATER IN
YOUR VEHICLE IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY.

@Jesse
thank you for addressing fukushima This is the worse disaster the world
has ever seen and the biggest coverup from all governments. All west
coast monitors were turned off 3 days after 3/11. It is up to the pple
to get the message out to others. This

The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of
Health (DH) is today (Dec 6) investigating another confirmed human
case of avian influenza A(H7N9) in Hong Kong affecting a man aged 80.

The
patient, with underlying medical condition, lives in Shenzhen. He was
admitted to a hospital in Shenzhen for management of his chronic illness
from November 13 to 29.

On December 3, he arrived in Hong
Kong with his three family members via Shenzhen Bay Port Border Control
Point (SBP BCP) and subsequently took a taxi there in the afternoon to
the Accident and Emergency Department (AED) of Tuen Mun Hospital (TMH)
where he was admitted for further management of his chronic illness on
the same day.

"The Serious Response Level under the Government's Preparedness Plan for
Influenza Pandemic has been activated while the CHP's epidemiological
investigation and follow-up actions are currently in full swing," a CHP
spokesman remarked.
Courtesy: http://www.info.gov.hk/

Hong Kong health officials have
quarantined 19 people who had contact with an 80-year-old man
confirmed to have the city’s second case of H7N9 influenza,
which has killed 45 people in China this year.
The patient is a long-term resident of mainland China who
was hospitalized in the border city of Shenzhen from Nov. 13 to
Nov. 29 for treatment of an underlying chronic illness, the Hong
Kong government said in a statement on Dec. 6. He moved to Hong
Kong on Dec. 3 and was admitted to Tuen Mun Hospital, where he
tested positive for the new strain of bird flu after developing
a fever, the statement shows.

Thursday, December 5, 2013

Juan Carlos Lentijo, head of IAEA’s mission to Fukushima Daiichi, Dec. 4, 2013: “Controlled discharge is a regular practice in all the nuclear facilities in the world. And what we are trying to say here is to consider this as one of the options to contribute to a good balance of risks and to stabilize the facility for the long term.”

Xinhua, Dec. 4, 2013: Lentijo said that TEPCO should weigh the possible damaging effects of discharging toxic water against the total risks involved in the overall decommissioning work process. [...] Tanaka highlighted the fact that while highly radioactive water could be decontaminated in around seven years, the amount of water containing tritium will keep rising, topping 700,000 tons in two years. [...] nuclear experts have repeatedly pointed out that [tritium] is still a significant radiation hazard when inhaled, ingested via food or water, or absorbed through the skin. [...] fisherman, industries and fisheries bodies in the Fukushima area and beyond in Japan’s northeast, have collectively baulked at the idea of releasing toxic water into the sea [...] TEPCO will be duty-bound to submit assessments of the safety and environmental impact [...]

NHK, Dec. 4, 2013: IAEA team leader Juan Carlos Lentijo [...] said it is necessary and indispensable to assess the impact the tritium discharge might have on human health and the environment, and to get government approval as well as consent from concerned people.

Japan Times, Dec. 4, 2013: “Of course . . . public acceptance for this purpose is necessary,” said Lentijo, adding strict monitoring of the impact of the discharge would also be essential.